1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective cushion that is removably attached to a child's auto seat, whereby persons or things seated or placed next to the child's auto seat, whether occupied or not, will be protected from injury or discomfort from the hard, angular, or rough surfaces of the exterior of the auto seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that it is often necessary to provide padding on the surfaces of devices designed for the use of children. The padding is applied to these interior surfaces for the comfort and protection of the children. It is understandable, therefore, that prior art relating to devices for the transportation or containment of children either directly addresses or generally discloses padding placed between the child and such devices, for example, auto seats, cribs and bassinets.
One such invention is a padded car seat disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,999, a child's car seat/booster seat where the patent teaches an adjustable car seat that can be used throughout the time period that the child requires such a seat. The patent does not claim the padding, but does disclose padding on the interior portions of the seat and on some areas of the exterior. The main purpose of the padding is to protect the child when he/she is thrown against the interior of the car seat and to provide a comfortable environment within which to sit. A further study of the device discloses knobs, levers and other hard and angular surfaces on the exterior of the seat which are exposed and may cause injury or discomfort to a passenger seated in close proximity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,253 to Hall and U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,947 to Sorensen, both disclose an inflatable crib to be used in an automobile for the transport of an infant or baby. The inflatable exterior walls of the cribs are designed to provide protection to the infant being carried inside the device; however, the inflatable walls do provide protection to occupants of the automobile seated in close proximity. However, it is noted that the inflatable tubular walls are an integral part of the devices and may not be removed for other purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,685 to Watson discloses a bassinet restraint system for transporting a bassinet in an automobile. The device consists of a cover which is to be placed over an existing bassinet, and a frame attached to the cover which slides under the bassinet and provides attachment points for the belt system of the automobile. While the padded cover provides protection to other occupants of the automobile from the hard surfaces of the top's frame, it does not prevent contact with other portions of the bassinet or the frame nor is the padding easily removable for other uses.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,018,492 to Rosen teaches a series of inflatable pads to be attached to the interior of infant enclosures, for example, children's cribs, playpens, and carriages. The purpose of the pads is to protect the child from contact with the interior surfaces of those enclosures. There is no suggestion that these pads be placed on the exterior of the crib, nor is there any suggestion that the crib is to be transported in an automobile.
The padding disclosed in the prior art above is present to protect the child; however, there is a need to provide protection for those passengers sitting next to such a child's auto seat. Children's auto seats frequently have hard, angular, sharp or rough surfaces which are not only very uncomfortable to other passengers during normal driving, but may cause serious injury during an accident when passengers are thrown against these surfaces.